


help me, help me (i'm no good at goodbyes)

by kluxbusters



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Getting Together, M/M, Open Ending, The Cursed Trade, break-up, linear narrative but it's weird, sorry to make you all sad but it had to be done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:43:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21740116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kluxbusters/pseuds/kluxbusters
Summary: All the time Tyson and Gabe said goodbye to each other.
Relationships: Tyson Barrie/Gabriel Landeskog
Comments: 4
Kudos: 71





	help me, help me (i'm no good at goodbyes)

**Author's Note:**

> if this story is about you or someone you know; click off now! go listen to carly rae jepsen or something.
> 
> please don't read my works on your public podcast or repost them onto a public site. 
> 
> now that that's out of the way: welcome to late-night writings with ki. this fic is weird, and short, and nothing like my last one, but i wanted something fun after researching aran sweaters for six hours.  
thanks to tj, rory, and finch for helping me find different ways of describing goodbyes. as always, i owe you.
> 
> enjoy, and i'm sorry in advance.

“Goodbye, Gabe,” Tyson smiles, hopping out of the car.

“Bye Tyson,” Gabe replied.

“Bye, Gabe!” Tyson calls from across the street, ice cream dripping down onto his hand.

“Bye, Tys!” Gabe calls back, smile splitting his face.

  
  


_ Bye bye Big Tys _ , Gabe texted, sitting silently in the back of his Uber.

_ Catch ya on the flipside _ , Tyson responded, smiling down at his phone.

  
  


_ Had to run out, see you at practice _ , is scrawled on the back of a post-it note, Tyson’s messy handwriting unmistakable.

Gabe smiles, the post-it sticking to his hand.

  
  


From across the crowded room, Gabe sees Tyson being ushered outside.

Quick motions of his hands after their eyes meet—closing his fist and opening it, then repeating it.

Tyson repeats the gesture from across the room.

  
  


“Goodbye, Gabe,” Tyson whispers, one hand stroking over Gabe’s hair, lit up by the moonlight.

“Wait,” Gabe murmurs, slowly waking up. “Where are you going?”

  
  


“Night, babe,” Gabe says, rolling over and tucking an arm around Tyson.

“G’night Gabe,” Tyson mumbles, already half-asleep.

  
  


“It’s only two days, okay?” Gabe says, running his hands over Tyson’s shoulders. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you. Have a safe trip,” Tyson replies before pressing a kiss to Gabe’s lips.

  
  


“Adjö,” Tyson says, tongue clumsy over the word.

“Where did you learn that?” Gabe chuckles, turning to stare.

“Maybe I’ll tell you when you get home,” Tyson leers, looking up from his book.

  
  


“Shit, Tyson, I’m gonna be late,” Gabe shouts, trying to be heard over the shower. “Love you, bye!”

Gabe pauses for a moment, then hears “Love you too! See you tonight!” 

He smiles all the way to the restaurant.

  
  


“I’ll send you my flight confirmation, okay?” Tyson asks.

“And it’ll only be three months we’re apart. No big deal,” Gabe lies.

“We’ll be fine, we’ll video chat every day. I love you. See you in July.”

“Love you too. Have a safe flight.”

  
  


“See you tomorrow morning, okay?” Tyson asks, shrugging on his shirt.

“I don’t get why you can’t just stay with me,” Gabe whines.

“Cause Nate will cry if I leave him alone. But hey, you get me all of next week, alright?”

“Love you,” Gabe says before Tyson can leave.

“Love you too. Night.”

  
  


“It’s just a quick flight, EJ just wants to show off his pilot’s license,” Tyson insists.

“Well forgive me if I worry,” Gabe says, holding Tyson’s face in his hands.

“Bye, babes,” Tyson says, heading out the door.

“Love you!” Gabe calls.

  
  


“Is that Bea in the background?” Tyson asks, shuffling closer to the iPad screen.

“Yeah, she’s making dinner tonight,” Gabe says, staring at Tyson’s pixelated face.

“Okay, well, it’s getting late,” Tyson says, yawning. “I’m gonna hang up, okay? Love you. See you soon.”

“Love you too,” Gabe smiles, tapping the red “end call” button.

  
  


“Bye, Gabe,” Tyson says, heading to his car. “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Tys,” Gabe calls, getting into his own car.

The team watches them as they get into separate cars, oblivious to the fact that they’re both driving to Gabe’s house.

  
  


“Love you,” Gabe says, cupping his mouth so no one else can see it.

“Love you too,” Tyson’s voice comes on over the phone line, bright and sunny.

“Hey, who is that?” Gabe hears EJ call.

“Uh, no one!” Gabe nervously replies.

“I heard you tell them you loved them, that’s a fine. Now just tell me what their name is so we can mark it up.”

“No, Erik, stop, don’t—”

EJ grabs the phone from Gabe’s hand, eyes widening when he sees the Caller ID.

“I knew it! You and Tyson **_are_** together!” EJ yells.

  
  


“I’m just gonna grab some snacks okay?” Tyson says, a thumb pointed towards the gas station.

“Are those diet sanctioned?” Gabe teases.

“Ha ha,” Tyson mocks.

“See you in a second,” Gabe laughs.

“Bye,” Tyson smiles, leaning into the car to kiss Gabe.

  
  


“I want to see you out that door,” Gabe croons, holding the spoon to his mouth in a mock microphone. “Baby, bye bye bye!”

“Oh my god,” Tyson laughs as Gabe launches into the dance break.

“Don’t knock my dancing skills, Tyson,” Gabe says, fake hurt.

“I would  ** _never_ ** , Gabriel!”

  
  


“I’m sorry you can’t come with us,” Tyson sighs, kissing Gabe’s forehead.

“It’s fine, all I’d do is sit in the press box anyways,” Gabe sighs.

“See you in four days, love you.”

“Love you,” Tyson replies.

  
  


“Goodbye, Gabriel!” Tyson yells, holding his front door open.

“You can’t just kick me out, Tyson!”

“Watch me!”

“Can you act like an adult for one second?” Gabe asks.

“Oh, tell me how you really feel, huh?”

“Tyson, don’t—”

“Get out, Gabe.”

“Tys—”

“Get out.”

  
  


“Love you, baby,” Gabe smiles.

“Are you ever gonna say goodbye properly, or just keep telling me you love me?” Tyson asks.

“Are you complaining?”

“No,” Tyson laughs.

“Well I could say it like this,” Gabe kisses a patch of skin under Tyson’s jaw. “Goodbye,” He kisses Tyson’s cheek. “Goodbye,” Another kiss pressed to Tyson’s hairline. “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.”

  
  


“I don’t want you to go,” Tyson blubbers, sitting in his hospital bed.

“Baby, I’m just getting you some more jello,” Gabe laughs.

“It’s too far,” Tyson cries.

“I’ll be right back, I promise,” Gabe says.

“Goodbye,” Tyson cries, acting like the world is ending.

“Be right back,” Gabe corrects, pressing a kiss to Tyson’s forehead.

  
  


“I don’t understand why you don’t trust me to go to a bar with Nate!” Tyson says, grabbing his keys off the counter.

“I do trust you, it’s just—” Gabe starts.

“Then let me go,” Tyson pleads. “Just say goodbye, and trust that I’ll come home to you.”

Gabe takes a deep breath in, then says “Bye, Tys. See you tonight.”

“Love you,” Tyson smiles, leaning in to kiss Gabe quickly. 

  
  


“We’ll see you in the morning, right?” Tyson’s sister says, smiling over her cup of tea.

“Yeah, Vic,” Tyson replies, snuggled into Gabe’s side.

“Night Victoria,” Gabe says, waving to her.

“Night,” She replies.

  
  


“Be decent, boys,” EJ teases, skating in front of Gabe and Tyson.

“I should be saying that to you!” Gabe says.

Gabe hears a voice calling Tyson, and turns to see one of the PR staff, waving Tyson over.

“I gotta go do press,” Tyson says. “See you in a bit.”

“See you,” Gabe says, pressing a kiss to Tyson’s hand.

  
  


“So what was your plan, Tyson?” Gabe grits out. “To just leave and never say goodbye?”

“Yeah, maybe!” Tyson says, running his hands through his hair.

“How could you not say goodbye to us? To me?” Gabe asks.

“Because I thought it would hurt too much!”

“Tys—”

“And I was right, apparently,” Tyson says, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“Tyson, please.”

“Goodbye, Gabriel.”

  
  


The text comes in after Tyson gets to Toronto, the words  _ Bye, Tyson. Love you.  _ Burning themselves into his brain until it’s all he can see.

_ Bye, Gabe. _

It’s a while later, snow resting on the ground, when Tyson hears a knock at his door. 

He stands and walks over, socked feet padding on the hardwood, and sees a shock of blonde hair outside.

“Willy, I already told you—” He starts.

“Wrong Swede,” Gabe laughs, hands in his pockets.

“Gabe?” Tyson breathes out, shocked.

“Hi, Tyson.”


End file.
